Mentorship Key to Success of Young Business Leaders – Hylton

Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Anthony Hylton, has underscored the critical role of mentorship to the success of young business leaders.

“Business mentors can be invaluable to entrepreneurs and small businesses, helping them avoid mistakes, pointing them to practical solutions and resources and developing confidence levels. Indeed, many would argue that during these difficult times, the role of the mentor has never been more important,” he said.

The Minister was addressing a ceremony to launch the Private Sector Organization of Jamaica’s (PSOJ’s) ‘50 Under Fifty’ awards programme on Tuesday (June 5) at the company’s headquarters in Kingston.

He said that an active mentoring system, can serve as “an incubator for young business professionals, who demonstrate a strong potential for business leadership at an early stage of their careers."

The Minister lauded the PSOJ’s awards programme, which recognizes business leaders under 50 years old, noting that they “bring a new energy and vibrancy to the marketplace”.

“We can expect that the business leadership offered by the under 50 (years old) cohort of business leaders will be both bold and visionary…going forward, it is important that the country sees a growth in the number of young business leaders that hopefully will bring a new quality to the business environment,” he added.

The PSOJ has partnered with the Gleaner Company Limited to launch the ‘50 Under Fifty: Business Leaders Shaping Jamaica’s Future’awards, which will recognise 50 business leaders under 50 years of age who, based on their current contributions to the business community and the country, are expected to make a significant impact on Jamaica’s civic and business landscape in the foreseeable future. 

Nominations for the awards were opened on June 5 and will close June 15. Persons can visit the website: www.psoj.org for more information on criteria for the nominees and to access the nomination form, which will only be available online.

The winners will be highlighted in The Gleaner (both print and online), on Flow’s channel 100, and on the PSOJ’s website and its Private Eye eZine, beginning September through to November. The awards will end with a formal banquet on November 29, where the 50 awardees will be honoured.

Sponsors of the awards programme include National Commercial Bank Jamaica Limited, Columbus Business Solutions, Spanish Court Hotel, Caribbean Producers Jamaica, Secrets Resorts and Spa, GraceKennedy, EXIM Bank of Jamaica, The Marketing Counsellors, Panmedia Jamaica, and Wealth Magazine.

By Alecia Smith-Edwards, JIS Reporter